Choices
by Sarapercival333
Summary: She was just the first push. Rated T for adultery. one-sided Alistair/OC


Choices

_ The choices you make define who you are._

* * *

She was the first step, the first push. He was already venturing down the road filled with hate and vengeance; she was just the first step.

He just didn't know it until it was too late.

-x-

She wasn't beautiful. In fact, truth be told, she was as plain as you can get. She had dark hair and dark eyes that always seemed to sparkle; her skin was as white as porcelain. Overall, she had the appropriate features to pass for a plain Asian woman. It wasn't her beauty, or her plainness for that matter, that caught his attention.

It was her smile, her radiant, beautiful smile. When she smiled, the whole world seemed so far away, his problems seemed to be miles away.

But now, it didn't matter to him, as she was gone.

-x-

He looked out onto the crowd. Every one seemed to be talking to someone else, if they weren't; their faces were either buried in some documents or were preoccupied with some other stuff.

He heard his uncle's footsteps echo behind him. His uncle lightly tapped the microphone twice and that was enough to cause the audience to stop what they were doing and acknowledge the people on the stage. His uncle then went through the introduction and several other pleasantries that weren't included on the script he supposedly read.

Then they proceeded to the main part of the show, to announce who won the scholarship to Harvard. Why then was he sitting on the stage, you ask? His uncle wanted him to be the one to hand the paper signifying the person's scholarship to Harvard.

All he had to do was just smile, shake their hand, and congratulate them, easy as pie. A very demeaning task an Ekat like him had to undergo.

Bae then announced her name and she went on the stage with _that smile_ on her face. He was captivated, mesmerized, and he didn't know why. A few minutes later, he caught himself and looked at her, observing her, finding a cause as to why he had been captivated.

She went up to him and he handed her his hand limply, his smile rigid. He then held the paper out to her mechanically.

-x-

"You can't give me anything anyway," she said, he looked at her. "So why promise anything?"

He looked at her with hollow eyes..

"Because I can."

-x-

The whole time he was in Harvard, he kept accompanying her everywhere; they became the best of friends. He still hadn't bared his attraction for her to her. And it hurt to watch her go out with somebody else other than him.

Even though she wasn't beautiful, there were still men who liked her personality. What's there not to like? But even though that was the case, fate kept giving him chances. Usually, her relationship would end in shambles and he was always there to sever her fall.

He just doesn't know how to make use of those chances.

-x-

"You could've been mine," he whispers. She looks up at him with her dark eyes, they are no longer sparkling. The gold band on her left ring finger glitters against the harsh light.

"Stop daydreaming," she snaps at him. She then exits the restaurant and he limply follows after her seven minutes later.

-x-

It didn't take long for him to mess up Harvard. It was expected anyway so he didn't try, even if it was for her. They had promised to keep in touch. It was the only promise he kept.

They had called each other every week. But as the years go by, their contact gradually faded. And he didn't do anything about it, didn't know what do about it.

So it was a clash of colors when he was present during her graduation day at Harvard.

-x-

"We have to end this," she said suddenly. Again, the gold wedding ring on her ring finger blinded him. Alistair just looked at her numbly as he buttoned up his shirt.

He didn't know anything to do but just nod. She then stood up from the bed and kissed him, chaste, impersonal, as if she was never really affected.

Maybe she really wasn't.

-x-

He looked at her as she fixed her hair for her wedding. She looked more beautiful than he remembered her to in all her life.

"Lee," he whispered. She looked up and her eyes stopped sparkling.

"What are you doing here?"

"I love you," he barely whispered the three magical words.

"Nice timing," she said. She stood up and dismissed him briskly.

Her last parting words for him were, "I have waited long enough, Alistair."

And she was the first push.

-x-

With all his wealth and fortune, he still couldn't fill that hole in his chest where it had been torn out all those years ago. How pitiful really, had it not been for his cowardice, he could've filled it up. And he wouldn't be where he is right now. He wouldn't be traveling the road he was currently traveling.

* * *

_And all because of one golden band_.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.

If any one of you were confused, here is how the story goes:

Alistair (technically Bae) awarded a scholarship for Harvard to Lee (the girl) for unspecified reasons. During the awarding, Alistair started feeling an attraction towards her that lasted all the way out during his days at Harvard but he was too cowardly to admit his feelings to the girl he likes. During his Harvard days with her, he just stands there and jealously watches as she dates other guys. But her relationship always ends in pieces and he is always there to catch her, thus fate giving him another chance. When he gets expelled, they promise to keep in touch, but as time passes, they gradually fall out of touch so when it was her graduation day at Harvard, she is surprised that he is present there, thus it is a clash of colors. They then fall out of touch again after that as they go back to their separate lives. Then Alistair sees her again when they are older and they start an adulterous relationship. (Note: Alistair doesn't have a relationship but the girl does as she is engaged to another man.) They continue the relationship until days before her wedding. She then breaks off the affair. Before she walks out of the door, she kisses Alistair but he doesn't feel anything from the kiss as it is impersonal and wonders if she ever loved him. On her wedding day, Alistair managed to track her down and attends her wedding. He meets up with her in her private room before the wedding and finally gathers the courage to admit his true feelings for her. But it is now too late as she is getting married. And now, Alistair is rendered lonely and depressed and that is how he becomes the traitorous man he is now as he is always bitter about him not getting her.

Oh and about the first line when he says that he was already venturing down the road of hate and vengeance, it just so means that he was already becoming the man he is now, and the meaning of the 'she was the first push' was that she just sped up the process of him becoming the kind of man he is.


End file.
